No More
by CaptainKrueger
Summary: "Was he serious? She was supposed to just deal with him lying to her face and be okay with it because Barney was a quick thinker who could pull an assortment of cheap tricks out of his sleeve? How stupid did he think she was?" Alternate ending to s8e18. Not Swarkles friendly.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: I'm going to make this clear. _This is not a Swarkles friendly fic. _I break them up in this, just like in every other HIMYM fic I have, with the exception of one. So if you love this pairing and do not want to see them break up, then turn away. This story is not for you. There are hundreds more fics out there to suit your tastes.

On another note, this is my first Robin-centric fic. I'm used to Ted's voice, so this is new territory for me. However, I've had an idea similar to this one for months; I just finally found a way to put it to words.

/o/

_"You really think that this is just about a book, Barney? You _lied _to me. If we're going to be in a marriage and trust each other, you can't lie to me ever."_

_"Really? Well, that's just great. Because in case you haven't noticed, lying is what I do best. I'm a magician, Robin. Misdirection and deceit are my stock and trade. You don't want me to lie to you? Lies are the reason that we're together. Every single thing I did to get you to say yes to me on that rooftop—Patrice, the false engagement, everything—it was all utter malarkey. But underneath all of those lies is one true thing. One true thing that can support the weight of all the lies in the world, and...and that's the fact that I love you. And you know that when I say that...I am not lying."_

/o/

Robin gaped in disbelief at Barney as he pulled out a plastic flower arrangement and offered it to her as a peace offering—as if some fake flowers were supposed to make up for it all. She scoffed incredulously and slowly shook her head at the man that she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with. Was he serious? She was supposed to just deal with him lying to her face and be okay with it because Barney was a quick thinker who could pull an assortment of cheap tricks out of his sleeve? How _stupid_ did he think she was?

Barney started to grow impatient and his confidence slowly dissipated as Robin just stood there, staring at the tacky, fake bouquet he held up for her. "Uh, Robin," he said nervously, pushing the fake flowers under her nose. "You're supposed to take them."

Robin wanted to scream, to cuss, to shake Barney, to run and never look back. Instead she settled for a simple, "No." It was a quiet, breathless, tired reply that carried the burden she'd shouldered for years on end. It was the "no" that she should have given him months ago when he'd offered her that ring. "No."

Barney looked like someone had sucker punched him in the gut. "No?" he echoed. It was a flat, lifeless, disbelieving reply that carried all his crushed hopes and desires. Barney added, more softly this time, "No?"

She saw her future as she stared, wide eyed, at Barney. Was this how it was supposed to be for the rest of her life? Did she really want to subject herself to decades of deceit, trickery, and disrespect? Did she really want to commit herself to all that because Barney Stinson was her greatest love and yet her greatest vice? No, she did not want to, and she would not do it. She was smarter than that.

Robin shook her head and took a step back as if she were walking backwards on a balance beam. "No," she murmured, answering Barney and herself.

One step back.

"No."

Another step back.

"No, no, no, no. No. No. No! No!"

A step back for every refusal.

Barney remained in place as the distance grew between them. He swallowed. His lips parted. "Robin." A whimper. A futile, impotent plea from a man who realized that all he loved in life had slipped through his fingers.

Barney took a step forward.

Robin took yet another step back.

Again, Barney took another step forward and, again, Robin took another step back.

"Robin," Barney whimpered again. He inhaled shakily and finally asked, "Why?"

"Why?" Robin shrieked. "Oh, my god! Why? You're really asking me that?"

Robin took a steadying breath. She closed her eyes as she steeled herself, reminding herself that she had to hold onto a modicum of self-restraint since people were starting to stare. Opening her eyes, she let out a gust of air while she glared at Barney. "You wanna know why, Barney? It's because I am _tired_ of putting up with all of this. I have dealt with _all_ of your bullshit all of these months because _I love you. _I love you, Barney, but you are killing me! I said yes to you after you put me through utter hell because I love you, but I just can't do it anymore."

Robin exasperatedly threw her hand up. She then placed it on her hip and her breath hissed through her teeth. She said in a quieter voice, "You're right, Barney. You're right. Lying is what you do best. I was just stupid to believe that you could actually change for me. For us. Our engagement was based on lies since day one, and I have too much self respect to put up with this anymore." She slowly shook her head and rasped, "I just can't do this anymore."

She started to slide the engagement ring he had given her off her finger, but she then yanked it off. Like ripping off a bandaid. Now it was done. Robin threw the ring in his face, took a few more backward steps, and then swiveled on her heel, walking off with the hopes of hailing a cab.

"Robin!" Barney yelled.

Robin maintained her stony expression and resolved to keep her heart as stony, or else she would break down crying.

She startled when she felt his hand on her shoulder, but she soon stiffened against Barney's touch. "Don't touch me, Barney," she warned him. Though her voice shook from her tattered heart, she tried to make it seem like it was fury that shook her voice.

"Robin, please."

"Barney," she growled, violently shrugging his hand off. "I don't even want to look at you right now."

So she kept walking, trying to flag down a cab as quickly as possible so she could get the hell out of there. Luck must have been on her side, for soon enough she was in a taxi—alone. That was when the tears finally came out. Robin didn't care that she was bawling in front of a stranger—or, rather, behind one—she simply requested that the cab driver take her away. So Robin folded in on herself as she sobbed while the driver took her in the opposite direction, away from Barney.


	2. Chapter 2

Robin sobbed like only one who was heartbroken could while the driver took her away from her ex-fiancé. It was over. It was all over. But it couldn't be. There was no way that this was really happening, right? She hadn't just walked away from all that she and Barney had, right? She wasn't really having a meltdown in the backseat of a taxi because she'd broken off her engagement, right? This was all a nightmare, right? Some horrible, awful nightmare. Right?

Robin pinched the back of her hand; she had to wake up. She slapped her cheeks softly but rapidly, mumbling to herself, "Wake up, wake up, wake up, wake up."

Robin realized what she was doing, realized that the poor, oblivious driver probably thought he was now a chauffeur to a mad woman. She stopped herself and squeezed her hands into fists._ Come on, Scherbatsky_. Robin scolded herself. She had to get a grip.

However, with tears like these, it was no simple task to stop herself, so Robin did her best; she clamped her mouth shut and curled back into a ball, burying her face in her coat sleeves, trying to muffle the piteous sounds coming from her while her body continued to shake. God, she was a mess.

Eventually her crying died out and Robin was left with the pressing questions that coiled themselves around her heart and began to squeeze mercilessly. What now? What did this mean for the group? Would sides be taken? What did this mean for her and Barney on a more basic level? Could they ever recover from this? Could they ever be in the same room together after this?

Robin did not know. She did not know what would happen in the next ten minutes, let alone the next few days, weeks, months, years. All she knew was that she was done with this. All she knew was that she and Barney were broken up and it felt godawful.

"Where d'ya wanna go, miss?"

Robin looked up, startled out of the trance she had settled into after her sobs had ceased. The cab driver had been kind enough to leave her be while she'd wept, but now he needed a destination. She unfurled herself from the ball she'd squeezed herself into and peered through the window to see where the cab driver had gone, but then realized she had no clear destination in mind. Robin fell back against the seat and stared dully through the bulletproof glass partition. She shrugged and threw her hand up, indicating that she wanted him to keep driving.

Where could she go? She sure as hell couldn't go back to Barney's apartment, and yet she didn't want to go back to hers. Robin sighed and, not even paying attention to what she was saying, gave him Marshall and Lily's address.


End file.
